We made it to Abuja!

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We made it–as did our 12 bags–which feels like a miracle. Our house isn’t quite ready for us, so we’re staying in a hotel. It’s nice, so please don’t worry. It will actually be a blessing to get a break and not to have to hit the ground running. We could all use a couple of days at the pool before jumping into real life here.

The girls are doing well. They are worn out and snippy with each other, but I don’t blame them. They are relieved to be here. Peanut grinned from ear to ear when she looked out the window as we were landing. “It’s Africa Mommy!!!” Our brown-eyed girl was thrilled to let me know that we were flying over the Mediterranean Sea (yes, CCers, we broke into song). J-Bug soaked up all of the culture on our way from the airport to the hotel.

From what I’ve seen Abuja is a clean city, with new and crumbling buildings. It’s very green and very flat. Because it is the weekend there weren’t a lot of people here (most live outside the city and come in to work), but there were still quite a few people walking on the side of the main road, herding cattle and selling eggs. We saw quite a few cross the 4 lane highway on foot, wherever they wanted too.

After spending a week in Germany, I was relieved to be able to read signs and understand the people around me. The familiarity made me feel at home. I didn’t expect that. The people at the airport were kind and helpful–the customs attendant called us “the man and his princesses.”

Thanks for all your support and prayers for the journey.  We’ll have more to share in the coming days as we start to settle in.